


Is forever always enough?

by tobiohshit



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon, Alternate Universe - Gender Changes, Alternate Universe - Reincarnation, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Flashbacks, Fluff and Angst, Galra Keith (Voltron), Heavy Angst, M/M, Reincarnation, Trans Keith (Voltron), Trans Male Character, Transphobia, will put warnings for the super sensitive content dw
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-22
Updated: 2017-01-22
Packaged: 2018-09-18 21:41:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,928
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9404198
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tobiohshit/pseuds/tobiohshit
Summary: A shy kiss, a soft hand holding his, a tiny giggle and a coffee cup put down in front of him. The visions flashed by faster and faster. Planes and ferries, adventures, beautiful landscapes. Even faster. Black hair and ocean blue eyes of a toddler. Wedding rings. Smiling faces. Faster. Clashing teeth, desperation, scratches down backs, breathy whispers. Even faster still. Movie sets. Crowds of paparazzi. So fast, the images were only just recognisable. Booze, smoke, a speeding motorcycle, a bright light, then darkness.There was no difference between dreams and reality anymore, it all felt too surreal.But it really was just a dream.Wasn't it?





	

**Author's Note:**

> I'll try to not abandon shape of you but I've wanted to write this for months and i felt really motivated the last few nights so tAKE THIS ,,, ignore the fact i gave up on canon conversations bc thats boring smh. Also
> 
> & please note the archive warnings for chapters in the future, theyre there for a reason ;;;))))

_remember phone from Pidge_

Keith slapped a hand to his face and groaned in frustration. How forgetful was his soulmate? Seriously? Writing notes all the way to his elbow about anything and everything. Each in scribbled handwriting, barely understandable as it seemed like the pen was running out.

Other than the handwriting, his soulmate had weird traits Keith wanted to know more about. Lance was ambidextrous. His left arm was covered in the reminders, and his right with notes left for Keith. 

This would be okay for him, if only his school wasn't so strict about presentation, and as they noticed blue up his arms day after day, even after warnings to _'Scrub that shit off!'_ he was pulled into Iverson's office.

\- THE WEEK BEFORE -

_"I can't get rid of it! It's my soulmate!"_

_"I don't see any indication of that, Kogane."_

_"I'm sorry he's decided that his favourite colour is blue, if it wasn't for that then it would just be _so_ much better, wouldn't it? Bright red marks all over my body, even worse, multicoloured? Enlighten me as to how I'm supposed to scrub it off?"_

_"That's enough of your cheek, Keith. Or should I say _Keira_?"_

_"No you fucking shouldn't you asshole! Fuck you! Why even accept me to your damn school if you're going to rip me for who I am? Am I just another Pilot to you?"_

_"Of course Keira, you're just another pilot, just like Shiro and that Matt kid and his father."_

_"How can you stand here and talk about them like that? How the _fuck_ can you live with yourself you sick minded fre-"_

_"Get the fuck out of my office. I don't want to see you in my school ever again. Do you understand?"_

_He got no reply as Keith stood up and pushed his chair back. There was a slight pause where both he and Iverson watched a scribbled reminder being wrote on the back of his hand that leant on the desk. Keith leaned down to be eye level with Iverson and kicked his desk straight on him, sending papers flying everywhere and a printer to clatter to the floor. By the time the ruckus had settled Keith was far away from the office._

_He sighed and pulled a hand through his hair. Even though he had top surgery last month, people still occasionally decided to use his dead name. He dragged his feet to his room, where the girl he was set with had left to her boyfriends dorm after hearing he was trans. He still felt a pang in his chest over how people reacted, but he was still glad to not have to share a room with anyone._

_He felt a pulse at the side of his chest and he pulled his shirt off to look at the mark stamped there. He was one of the rare soulmates that had both transfers of what was on the others skin - the exception being tattoos for no particular reason - which was called soulskinned, and a soulmark too. A soulmark was the bog standard, usually tiny mark almost everyone had. It was identical to the other halves, with the exception of colour. What colour your soulmark was indicated your soulmates favourite colour, Keith's was obviously red, and his soulmates was blue. He smiled at the light coming from the lion on his chest. It used to be under his right breast, but for obvious reasons, it seemed have adjusted to the loss of his milk jugs. It had begun to shrink slowly, even after surgery, and he wonders if his soulmates did too. He hoped it was only moving._

__Headed out to look for someplace to live, stay safe and dont forget your shit x_ _

_Keith quickly scribbled down on his arm in neat cursive, throwing the pen and the rest of his stuff in a rucksack. He hoisted it over his shoulder and sighed, waiting for a reply to the ink that showed up on their arm a few seconds before._

\- L - 

Headed out to look for someplace to live, stay safe and dont forget your shit x 

_The delicate red writing appeared on his right wrist, and he grinned, but the smile soon slid off his face after reading it. Why didn't she have a home already? Did she run away? He took the pen he was using for revision and wrote back._

__hope ur ok? good luck !!!! xxxx_ _

_He added a couple of hearts around it _just for good measure, Pidge_ and clicked his pen in, falling back in his seat._

_"Y'know elective is a period for studying right? And uh, not for Kira pining?"_

_Lance flipped her the bird as he pressed a hand to the mark covering the side of his chest, it had started shrinking slowly, and although he never wanted to say it, he was worried about what was happening to the bond with his soulmate._

_After hearing the bell sound, Lance pushed himself out of the class and to his and Hunks dorm room. He faceplanted down on his bed and lay there, Hunk silently observing. There was an announcement for everyone to meet in the assembly hall fifteen minutes later._

_Everyone filed in and stood in front of the stage. The usual seats were still stacked at the sides of the hall, as if this wasnt a planned gathering._

_After a couple of minutes Iverson stood up to the mic and signalled for everyone to be silent. He looked _pissed_ , and that was an understatement, even for Lance, who had seen his angry face too many times. _

_"I would like to inform you that we will not accept any kind of immaturity in our school grounds from here on out. You have come here to learn, not to act ridiculous. We need as many people up in space as soon as possible, and you're the people that have signed up to do just that! Get your acts together and work harder for your exams next week. No one shall leave the building, exams or no exams, due to suspicious activity outside the school." Iverson was met with silence and people cringing, their heads bowed. "I would also like to say that Keir-Keith Kogane has been expelled from the Garrison, due to disciplinary problems. Before you all leave, I would like to notify you I will be coming to all of your dorms in the span of the next few weeks personally and doing inspections. You can go back to your classes or dorms now."_

_Lance looked confused at the last point he made, and by the looks of it Hunk and Pidge did too. He shook his head and brought out his pen from his pocket as he waited for the crowds to leave._

__sum kid got expelled. now we gotta get inspected and man am i shittin it. hope u found someplace to go. ly x_ _

_He pocketed the pen and followed after Hunk and Pidge who were only a few steps in front of him._

\- PRESENT TIME -

Lance heard a knock at the door and he and Hunk locked eyes. Hunk opened the door and Iverson stepped in.

"Show me your arms, boys." He got straight to the point.

Both of them obliged, putting their arms forward.

"Roll up your sleeves."

They pushed them up, on edge about the strange nature of what was happening. Iverson's eyes had finished searching Hunk's arms, deeming them respectable. But as they met Lance's they blazed with burning fury.

"What the fuck is this?"

"Uh-Sir it's my soulmate."

"Uhuh, yep okay. I've heard it all before Mcclain. I'm not prepared for a scene like Kogane's so sit tight while I get an escort for you both."

He left without further explanation.

"What the fuck? This is damn scary Hunk, we need to get out of here this is way too weird."

They made their way through the corridors quietly, hoping to avoid any teachers as it was after dark. Lance heard footsteps and pushed Hunk into the nearest bin, throwing himself in the one next to him. The footsteps belonged to Iverson and two men beside him. 

They waited until they knew they were gone for sure, which was another five minutes. Lance clambered out of the bin and motioned to Hunk to follow him. They saw a familiar guy running down the corridors. They quietly made their way behind Pidge, who, conveniently enough, was headed outside too.

Lance and Hunk pushed open the fire exit, seeing Pidge sat with a pair of headphones on already. Lance pulled them off their ears, "You come up here to rock out?" He had said right in their ear, and they helped.

"Just uh-lookin at the stars." They had replied.

"Huh, where'd you get all this stuff? Doesn't look like Garrison tech."

They turned to him, a smirk on their face. "I built it."

"You built all this?" Hunk had moved closer to the layout of computers and weird gadgets.

"Stop it!" Pidge had slapped Hunks hand away. They started talking about how they could scan to the edge of the solar system, and Lance decided to butt in.

"All the way to Kerberos?" Pidge humphed in reply. "You go ballistic whenever someone brings it up, what's your deal?"

"Second warning Hunk!" Pidge had said, glaring at him to get away from the tech after noticing him during Lance's speech.

Lance began to babble about secrecy as Pidge turned around to face him.

"The world as we know it is about to change. The Kerberos mission wasn't lost because of some mission or crew mistake, _stop touching my equipment!_ I've been picking up on alien chatter."

"Wait, aliens?!" Hunk had spluttered out, whilst Lance replied with "Okay, I got it, you're insane."

"I'm serious. They keep repeating one word. Voltron. Tonight something is bound to happen. It's going crazier than I have _ever_ heard it."

Lance began saying "How crazy?" When Iverson's voice blared over the announcement speakers, telling everyone to stay indoors. Pidge gave him a pointed look.

"Uh, is that a meteor? A very, very big meteor?"

They watched as it crashed straight into the rocks, and Pidge pulled them all over to a cliff get a better view. They managed to grab video feed from the strange ship and they all listened in.

"What are they doing to Shiro? That guys my hero! We need to get in, with a distraction!" There were multiple explosions further from them and the ship, "There's our distraction!"

"No, there's _his_ distraction." Pidge said, pointing to some guy in a cropped red jacket.

Lance quickly clambered down the hill. "That guy is always trying to one up me!"

"Who is it?" Pidge called out.

"Keith!" He yelled up from the bottom of the hill. Pidge and Hunk sighed in unison.

\- 

Shiro was alive. _Shiro was alive._

The only thing running through his mind right now was Shiro, and he ignored the strange surges he got from his soulmark as he went to go to the ship. The doors slid open Keith ran to the table Shiro was on. The surges were significantly worse now, but he kept on for Shiro's sake. He shook his head and cut Shiro's restraints and sighed at the sight of him. He looked an absolute trainwreck.

The doors opened and his mark was overbearing, his knees buckled and he didn't to see who entered. What was going on? He put Shiro's arm around his neck and prepared to hoist him out of there. Some guy walked up to him and threw Shiro's arm around his neck too.

He wanted to reach a few centimetres further, to grab on to the new guy. He snapped out of it after he saw his lips move, but never heard the words he spoke.

"Uh, who are you?"

He introduced himself as Lance and his mind went in to overdrive. He knew that name before, that face. He remembers it from somewhere. But where? He's never met this guy in his life. Pictures of skyscrapers to rolling hills to bloody hands and the smell of smoke all flickered through his mind. _Where had he seen this guy before?_ He still felt the connection between them and wanted to reach out to him. 

He didn't see Lance wince and grab at the side of his chest in the same place Keith did as another wave of pain hit them, but neither realised, too caught up in that to see them mirroring eachothers actions.

Keith and Lance pulled Shiro along to Keith's hovercraft. They pulled him on and two of Lance's friends got on top, but he didn't mind them too much. He floored the gas and sent them shooting to the shack, where he had spent the last week frustratedly rebuilding what was on his old corkboard from the Garrison. 

Lance grimaced as more surges of pain hit him. He didn't know what was going on, but he felt his soulmark burning ferociously against his skin. He noticed the concerned glance Hunk gave him but he waved it off and continued with his normal demeanour. 

The shack was in view now, and Keith slowly removed the excessive pressure that was on the accelerator. They stopped and he brought Shiro to the only bed.

"I'm Pidge, that guy is Hunk. But what is all this stuff?" Pidge was looking at the cork board. 

"It's about alien life, over the course of the last few months I found runes and tunnels filled with this kind of foreign language. I can recognise any kind of writing, but this one doesn't appear in any kind of record. It's- ah!" He grabbed his chest and the pain became excruciating. It felt like hours before he came to again, and he was met with worried faces. "I-I'm okay, just weird pains nothing to fret over."

They didn't look convinced but they dropped the topic and the conversation continued.

-

Lance tossed and turned on the bed. He was glad Hunk was a heavy sleeper.

His mind flashed with waterfalls and high speeds and laughter. All night his dreams were tainted with the thoughts of this unknown person, They had knew them before. They had experienced things with them before. He closed his eyes and wished for sleep again, hoping silently for there to be no more dreams.

He wasn't in luck.

A shy kiss, a soft hand holding his, a tiny giggle and a coffee cup put down in front of him. The visions flashed by faster and faster. Planes and ferries, adventures, beautiful landscapes. Even faster. Black hair and ocean blue eyes of a toddler. Wedding rings. Smiling faces. Faster. Clashing teeth, desperation, scratches down backs, breathy whispers. Even faster still. Movie sets. Crowds of paparazzi. So fast, the images were only just recognizable. Booze, smoke, a speeding motorcycle, a bright light, then darkness.

Everything was black, and then he woke up gasping, as if it had been real.

There was no way it could be something to pass off as a usual nightmare, this was worse.

This felt more like reality.

But it really was just a dream.

Wasn't it?

-

Shiro woke up a while later, while the rest of the shack, save Pidge and Keith, was still asleep. The groan he let out alerted both of them that he was awake. 

"K-Keira?" Shiro stammered out quiet enough that only Keith could hear him.

"Call me Keith, Shiro, please."

He frowned but nodded. "Okay, Keith. What happened?"

He sighed and explained how the ship crashed and how he met Lance, Hunk and Pidge. 

"The one sitting there is Pidge. Hunk and Lance took my bed before I got to it. But it's so wrecked it's probably worse than the floor." The conversation continued for a short while then Shiro got up and said he was going for air. Keith followed him out a few minutes after.

Shiro felt Keith behind him and he turned to face him.

"I missed you."

"Trust me, I did too."

"I didn't think you were ever coming back."

"I certainly had an interesting time in captive. I don't feel half as bad now I'm here."

Keith hummed in response and put a hand on his shoulder.

"I think you should come see this."

He lead them inside and to the small excuse of a bathroom and pulled up his shirt. The soul mark was glowing more than usual, and Shiro gaped at it.

"I have no idea what's happening Shiro."

"They're near. And you need to put in some effort and open your eyes to find them."

Keith knew that was coming, and he sighed and rubbed his hands against his face. Shiro always knew things before him, no matter the circumstances. Shiro calls it his _Sixth sense for figuring people out_ just _like in the movies._

(Keith got a cuff to the back of his head after he said _Where I come from we call it being nosy, not sure about you._ )

-

It was the morning after, and Pidge wanted to check out the cave Keith had pictures of on his wall. They all set out to get there, Pidge already complaining about having to walk so far.

The walls and floor of the cave they walked in glowed a bright blue, as Lance touched it.

"That's never happened before." Keith breathed out, both in pain and shock. His soulmark continued to hurt and he was almost bent over in pain, but the others were either too caught up in what they were doing or just ignoring it. The floor opened up suddenly and all five fell through.

The path lead to a blue forcefield, a lion inside. Keith's breath caught in his throat and he brought a hand up to his chest. He missed the way Lance's did too, the sound of his gasp fell on deaf ears as they all stood in astonishment.

Lance knocked on the forcefield and it opened up, sprinting in, Lance took the pilots seat and pressed some buttons. His soulmark burned painfully, he wondered if it was getting worse since last night, or if he was only imagining. But he kept to himself, reveling in the new discovery of cool looking tech.

The others had climbed in after him, and the lion shot up from its space in the ground. They were flung around the cockpit as it kept rising.

"Lance what the fuck!"

"It's not me! It's as if it's on autopilot!"

As if to prove his point he lifted his arms above his head and his sleeve was ridden up. Keith got a glimpse of familiar writing on his wrist. He looked at him in shock and glanced at his arm. 

That was the writing he'd known for the last five years of his life. He reached a hand out for Shiro and shook him quickly. His head turned to Keith questioningly, who leaned in, eyes blown wide in shock, mouth hanging open.

"It's him, It's him, Shiro."

Shiro frowned, his eyes flickering to the back of Lance's head. Keith nodded in response. Shiro rubbed his eyes and gave him a look. Keith sighed and ran a hand through his hair and faced back out of the windshield.

-

The news of Lance being a paladin of Voltron shocked him to the core. He had always been a nothing, and now he's been upgraded to a defender of the universe?

They were in the common area, all sitting on the settees. Keith and Lance were sat on one, Pidge and Hunk on another, and Allura and Shiro took the other, Coran choosing to stand. It was silent, all of them exhausted from training.

It had only been a few days since they had arrived, but everyone was still in the starting stage of being stuck between awkward and comfortable with eachother.

Lance sighed "My soulmate hasn't spoken to me in a while. I can't even talk to her now! Well, unless alteans have pens."

Shiro and Lance caught how Keith's back straightened. Shiro knew why, as Keith had clearly been called the right pronouns for a while and had adjusted his body to how he felt mentally, if the flat chest and deeper voice had anything to do with it. But Lance, on the other hand, believed it was because the mention of soulmates.

Lance crossed his arms and cocked a brow. "What's the matter Keith? Worried about your soulmate?" Keith was silent, but his breathing got shallower, especially as all eyes were on him. He cleared his throat. "No, actually." He looked at Lance then to the ground again.

"Oh really? You aren't? I think you're lying. Keith's scared about his pretty soulmate girlfriend! Who would've thought"

He stood and pulled his body to his full height. Which was actually taller than Lance by a bit anyways, as he was always the tallest girl in the class when he was younger. His eyes screamed murder as he glared at Lance, a hand grabbing his collar to pull him up of the seat. Both felt the pain from their soulmarks flare up.

"Well, I would've thought more about _you_.The guy that doesn't know shit about learning to shut his own damn mouth before he starts making assumptions about soulmates. Not everything is a fucking paradise like you imagine, do you get me?" Lance gulped visibly, and Shiro stood to calm Keith down but sat on the settee again after being hit with the harshest look Keith could muster.

"Maybe if you pulled your head out of your ass you would understand that. But clearly, said pompous ass is a great home for your head to live in. Honestly, I couldn't care any fucking less about my own damn soulmate, because I know they are the biggest, most idiotic fucking prick I'll ever have spoken to." He paused. "What if I couldn't be with my soulmate because I can't even trust myself to keep stable relationships. What if I can't be with them because I'm not who they think I am, because I can't tell them who I am, because they won't _want_ who I am." 

At this point tears are welling in Keith's eyes and his anger is washed away by his sadness. "But you wouldn't know would you? Because instead of asking and being supportive over what I would've told you, you make assumptions and everything so much harder for yourself and me. You're too used to saying shit and getting away with it because you can't understand that not everything is as picture perfect as you imagine it to be. Everyone on Earth is fucked up, everyone outside this ship is fucked up, everyone over there is fucked up, _I'm fucked up._ " He gulped as tears dripped down his face. "And you're fucked up too, even if you believe you aren't."

He shook his head. "Think of someone other than yourself. Think of what they're going through and what you don't know about them and keep your shitty guesses _to yourself_." He dropped Lances collar, now dripped with tears, and stumbled back. He turned and ran out of the lounge and left the rest of the team baffled.

Shiro rubbed his face with his hands and shook his head. "The boys been through some shit, Lance. You probably shouldn't poke at him about personal stuff again." He gave a tight smile and followed after Keith.

Today was off to a bad start.

**Author's Note:**

> Hmu on some of my social media!! If u recognise one of them and know me from there then ur my no. 1 ur a blessing  
> Tumblr - Plantwaifu  
> Twitter - Shirosbrows


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